Yesteday, December 17th, the government announced which four out the 12 proposed centres for quantum technologica research gets funded. Read more about it here:
Simula did extremely well – securing no less than two centres. We at OsloMet are fortunate enough to be partners in one of them, namely the Norwegian Quantum Software Center (NorQSoft), which is lead by Shaukat Ali. Two QH members, Sølve Selstø and Sergiy Denysov, are leading one of the five research areas, “Quantum Algorithm and Applications”.
But this is not all: We are also partners in the Centre for Quantum Computing and Applications (QSTAR), headed by Frans Fuchs at Sintef. In this centre, another QH member, Andre Laestadius, is co-leading a work package related to quantum chemistry.
Unfortunately, despite very good reviews, the third proposal we were involved with did not measure up. This was a broad and, quite frankly, very strong joint effort headed by researchers at the University of Oslo.
OsloMet’s two-qubit quantum computer, acquired in 2021 (the first quantum computer in Norway!), has found a new home at the Norsk Teknisk Museum (Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology).
It was moved there on 25 November and is now part of the museum’s exhibition on the history of computing in Norway.
A few days later, Sølve Selstø, Scientific Manager of QH, gave a popular-science lecture on quantum computing at the museum to an audience of nearly 90 people — a great kickoff for the computer’s retirement!
Å simulere kvantefysikk er så datakrevende at det i teorien krever en uendelig stor maskin. Doktorgradsstipendiat Bendik Steinsvåg Dalen (27) jobber med en løsning.
Vi møter Bendik på stipendiatkontoret hans. Her er han snart ferdig med doktorgraden sin, hvor han har tatt et dypdykk i kvantefysikkens verden og undersøkt hva som skjer når en laserpuls treffer et atom og skyter ut elektroner.
Det er nemlig svært tidkrevende å simulere hva som skjer med elektronene, og det er nettopp dette Bendik har forsket for å finne en løsning på.
– For å simulere dette på en datamaskin, måtte man i teorien hatt en uendelig stor maskin. I praksis har man måttet bruke store simuleringer og la dem kjøre i dagevis, forklarer Bendik Steinsvåg Dalen.
Han er stipendiat i ingeniørvitenskap ved OsloMet, og har nylig publisert en forskningsartikkel hvor han undersøker en løsning som krever langt mindre datakraft for å gjennomføre lignende simuleringer.
Her forklarer Bendik Steinsvåg Dalen hvordan elektroner blir skutt ut når man skyter på dem med en laserpuls. Foto: Benjamin Haug-Toklum
Bygger en digital «vegg»
Utfordringen er ifølge Bendik helt fundamental.
– Se for deg at du slipper en stein i et vann. Bølgene sprer seg utover i alle retninger. Slik er det med kvantepartikler også, og bølgefunksjonen deres sprer seg i teorien uendelig langt.
Metoden som Bendik utvikler sammen med sin veileder, Sølve Selstø, går ut på at man har funnet en måte å «krympe» havet på.
– I stedet for å simulere havet, bygger vi en vegg som absorberer bølgene, ganske nær der steinen treffer vannet.
Det baserer seg på å sette opp en «Complex Absorbing Potential» (CAP), eller en digital vegg.
– I praksis er det en digital detektor som plasseres kjempenært atomet, fanger opp alt som skjer med elektronene og forteller oss nøyaktig hva som skjer.
Metoden som er utviklet kalles for «PESCADO». Den gir opplysninger om hvilken energi partiklene som blir sendt ut av atomer har, og hvilken retning de blir sendt i.
Sparer datakraft
Metoden krever mye mindre datakraft og fanger opp resultatene ekstremt mye raskere.
– I forskningsartikkelen har vi vist at vi også kan forutsi hva som skjer, lenge etter at laserpulsen er skrudd av. Da slipper vi å kjøre simuleringen videre, utdyper Dalen.
Dette sparer enorme mengder datakraft og gjør videre forskning mer effektiv. Simuleringeringene kan nå gjøres raskere. Dette sparer ikke bare datakraft, men også miljøet.
Bendik Steinsvåg Dalen (27) viser frem forskningsartikkelen sin. Foto: Benjamin Haug-Toklum
Arbeidet til Bendik Steinsvåg Dalen har fått internasjonal oppmerksomhet og ble nylig publisert i det anerkjente tidsskriftet Physical Review A.
– Det er gøy å jobbe med problemer som dette her. Å finne en metode som faktisk hjelper oss å forstå verden rundt oss er motiverende.
Wednesday October 29th our hub had a very pleasant and informative visit of people from IQM. This company has delivered comparatively large superconducting quantum computers such as the Helmi in Helsinki and the VLQ in the Czech republic.
The Quantum Hub preresentatives, i.e., Sergiy and Sølve in this case, were both quite impressed – not only by how far they have come when it comes to developing quantum hardware, but also by the extensive learning platform they have developed. These tools enable learners not only to familiarize themselves with theory and concepts; the also allow for implementation and testing on their own actual quantum hardware.
Our guests, Sylwia Barthel de Weydenthal in particular, stressed the need for the Nordics to claim its place on the quantum map – especially so given the current geopolitical situation and the dominance of Big Tech.
For several years we have offered a 10 credit project course to our IT bachelor students. A rich plethora of topics and scientific and professional directions are eligible. This year, however, we offer – for the first time – projects on quantum technology.
We are thrilled to see that four of our students took the bait – and even more thrilled to see what they deliver!
Alina Khan and Zahra Imaan Ahmad have devised, analysed, simulated and run a circuit that implements an important model in quantum physics, the Landau-Zener model.
Alina and Zahra avaiting the results of their first experiment.
Andrés Cáceres, whom you can seen in the picture below, is – together with Lenni Tom Walter, involved in a project in which they are trying to determine a relative phase factor in a Bell-like state. This projects involves circuits with both two and three qubits. So our three-qubit machine, Munin, is used to its full potential, so to speak.
Andrés is running a two-qubit circuit carefully devised to learn the “unknown” phase of a slightly generalized Bell-state. His coworker Lenni Tom Walter was not present when the picture was taken.
It is no exaggeration to say that all four of them where thrown off the deep end here. With virtually no prior training in neither quantum phenomena nor quantum computing, it was a lot to take in the first weeks. But they did take it in. And they proved able to come up with quantum circuits that correctly solve their respective problems.
So it is fair to say that we have been impressed by the students’ performance. Are we equally impressed by Munin’s performance? Let’s wait for their reports, shall we?
Quantum Hub just wrapped a three-day study trip to the Netherlands’ quantum hotspots for ACIT students, PhD candidates, and faculty colleagues.
We kicked off in Amsterdam at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences with a welcome and an overview of the Dutch quantum ecosystem, followed by a tour of local quantum-education programs and an afternoon Qiskit workshop for hands-on practice. The day concluded with a roundtable discussion (which was actually rectangular) on how to teach future industry experts quantum technologies.
On day two we explored ethics in quantum computing with SURF before hopping a train to Eindhoven. There, at the Qubit Building of Eindhoven University of Technology, we heard about developments in the Dutch quantum-technology ecosystem and visited the Quantum Communication Lab.
After a five-minute walk, we entered the neighboring Fontys University of Applied Sciences, where we visited two QT-related labs and played in the “Quantum Game Room,” with help from the EduQuation student team.
The final morning took us to LAB42 at Science Park, where we met colleagues from Quix Quantum, QuSoft, and the Quantum Application Lab. Their presentations spanned quantum photonics, algorithm design, and industry applications.
Huge thanks to our Dutch hosts—and especially to Yves Rezus, an external QH member, who took the lead in organizing the visit!
On Friday, September 19, school kids gathered at Deichman Holmlia where OsloMet’s Quantum Hub organized a research square — for the third year in a row.
Our Master’s and doctoral students invited their younger colleagues into the world of quantum physics. With simple examples intended to spark curiosity, they explained quantum physics using something as everyday as coins (funny but there are also quantum bills… perhaps they should be used next time at Homlia). High-school kids were also introduced to concepts such as “entanglement” and “quantum encryption”, and how this can be used to send messages even more securely than today.
It is about four years since we unveiled the first quantum computer i Norway. Yesterday, another quantum computer, admittedly a somewhat larger one, was unveiled: The VQL. It is not a Norwegian one, but Norway – and OsloMet – are involved.
This quantum computer has 24 qubits. It is not placed in Norway; it is located in the Czech Republic. But Norway is a partner – through Sigma 2.
On October 5, OsloMet’s Quantum Hub welcomed a delegation from the Universidad Central del Valle del Cauca (UCEVA, Columbia), that included Juan Carlos Urriago Fontal (Rector), and Diana Katherine González (Director of Internationalization), together with José David Patón-Romero from the Simula Metropolitan Center for Digital Engineering (SimulaMet).
OsloMet leadership, including Rector Christen Krogh, TKD Dean Laurence Habib, and Head of the Computer Science Department André Brodtkorb, attended the meeting. Our rector provided an overview of OsloMet’s activities, while we presented the Quantum Hub’s initiatives and achievements. It was a pleasure to see the genuine interest expressed by Dr. Fontal and Ms. González, and we look forward to collaboration!
